Study Says Many Sexually Abused Girls Are Being Criminalized

Instead of help, they’re receiving jail time.

Did you know that one in four American girls under 18 has been sexually abused? If that statistic wasn’t jaw-dropping enough, a new study looks at how often these victims are being punished for that very reason by being routed to the juvenile justice system.

For example, a girl who is forced into sex trafficking might be arrested for prostitution. Or maybe another girl skips school because she was raped by a classmate and can’t face him, but in turn gets in trouble for truancy. According to the report, this happens often. In fact, 31 percent of girls in the juvenile justice system have been sexually abused, compared to seven percent of boys.

The rates of teen girl arrests have actually increased over the past two decades, but not because of more violent criminal incidents. They’re going to jail for more non-serious offenses that could be influenced by their experience of abuse or trauma.

To make matters worse, once a girl enters the system, she can be exposed to even more sexual victimization and/or re-trigger her trauma. Researchers say the system doesn’t have adequate facilities to help girls who are sexually abused, so they won’t get the help they need. It’s a cycle that they're calling the “sexual abuse-to-prison pipeline.”

So, we know that this is a problem, but what is the answer? The study’s authors suggest it comes down to training adults (those in the child welfare space and the juvenile system) so that they can help girls deal with the psychological and medical effects of sexual abuse. It’s also important to create safer spaces for girls such as more supportive group homes and specialized services. And of course anything that can be done to keep girls safe in the first place as well as out of the detention centers is the ultimate goal.

If you have been sexually abused and need to talk with someone, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1.800.656.HOPE.